The Electoral Commission report, made public on Wednesday (January 8), revealed electoral fraud was not widespread in the UK but a significant proportion of the public remain concerned it is taking place.

Ray Morgan, returning officer, electoral registration officer for Woking and chief executive of the council, has hit out at the document, accusing it of painting the borough in a negative light.

“I am extremely disappointed the Electoral Commission projected such a negative image of Woking and other councils in its press release," Mr Morgan said.

"For it to fail to have taken into account all the work done in addressing electoral fraud is a clear lack of due diligence and care on its part.

"It, despite representations from me to the commission about the inadequacy of its guidance and the inappropriate provisions of the law, continues to suggest this is a failing of local authorities when it is in fact a failing of the commission and of the government.

“I will be engaging more fully in discussion with the commission in light of the failings in its report and particularly in its press release.”

The Electoral Commission is making three main recommendations to tighten up the electoral system – sustained action to tackle the risk of electoral fraud, restricting the involvement of campaigners in absent vote administration processes by the 2015 elections, and introducing a requirement for voters to produce ID at polling stations, to be implemented after the 2015 elections.

Regarding the first recommendation, the commission said that, before the May elections this year, action must be taken to protect the integrity of elections in all areas and particularly in higher risk areas such as Woking.

It states electoral registration officers and returning officers, such as Mr Morgan, should analyse their area's history of alleged and proven electoral fraud, together with electoral data from previous elections, and plan what steps they will take against fraud.

However, Mr Morgan said action had been taken.

“When you have, in the view of an electoral court judge, a system that is designed to fail, it seems to me a total miscarriage of justice to imply this is a fault of local authorities and local authorities should do something about it,” Mr Morgan said.

“We have. A court has concluded we have.

“Yet the Electoral Commission has totally disregarded this - it should look to its own procedures and due diligence before criticising others.”

The commission will continue to monitor areas where there is a higher risk of allegations of electoral fraud, and provide continuing guidance and support to returning officers, electoral registration officers and police forces across the UK.

Jenny Watson, chair of the Electoral Commission, said: “Proven cases of electoral fraud are rare and when it is committed, the perpetrators tend to be candidates or their supporters.

“Voters value the contact that they have with campaigners. But as we look to the next general election, there needs to be a change in campaigner behaviour in order to help rebuild trust in the system.

“Campaigners must no longer handle postal votes, or postal vote applications under any circumstances.

"We should be able to achieve this through a strengthened code of conduct. But if we cannot, we will recommend that the law is changed.”

The challenge to Woking’s 2012 result was made after an election petition was launched by candidate Mohammad Ali, who lost to Mr Bashir by 16 votes.

The ruling "exonerated" Woking Borough Council chief executive Mr Morgan of any wrongdoing and praised his meticulous record-keeping in his role as returning officer.

The other areas named by the commission where there has been a history of cases of alleged fraud were Birmingham, Blackburn with Darwen, Bradford, Burnley, Calderdale, Coventry, Derby, Hyndburn, Kirklees, Oldham, Pendle, Peterborough, Slough, Tower Hamlets and Walsall.

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She has been editorial director of the online and print titles in Surrey and north-east Hampshire since 2007. Marnie previously worked at the BBC as a producer for 5 Live, having moved to national radio from BBC Sussex and Surrey.